Home > Artists > Kit, Michael / Karbler, David
Kit Karbler and Michael David are known for their innovative handblown prismatic forms utilizing techniques of layering, threading, slicing and polishing. Kit received his Bachelors degree in Fine Art from Ohio University and continued on his graduate studies in Glass and Design at UCLA where he studied with the internationally renowned glass artist Richard Marquis. Kit currently teaches at the University of Denver. Michael studied Glass and Art at the University of Colorado, Goddard College and Cornell university. Kit and Michael have been honored by numerous corporate commissions including: the American Bar Association, the Colorado Business Council for the Arts; Georgia Institute of Technology; Denver Gand Prix; Oppenheimer Investments Services; Quark, Inc; Mountain Bell Corp.; Dupont; US West; UPS; Xerox; ITT; TransCanada Pipelines; and IBM. They also have works in the permanent collections of the Corning Museum of Glass; Colorado Springs Fine Art Center; Denver Art Museum; the Royal Ontario Museum and the Kjarvalsstadir Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland. Their work can also be found at numerous galleries throughout the United States and the world. Kit Karbler and Michael David often toy with concepts of function vs. sculpture. A perfectly formed bowl, plate or vase will have sides cut away denying it of any functionality. The viewer is left with only an object possessing a sense of human history. The areas which have been cut away reveal layers of color immersed in clear crystal. The concept of history is also pushed by the use of acid etching to the surface. This muted surface contrasts the highly polished cut edges causing them to appear fresh. In some of Kit¡¯s and Michael¡¯s larger sculptural works they incorporate pieces of stone and metal. Each piece they create is a collaborative effort, signed by both artists, dated and numbered. They have been working together since 1980 when they established their Denver studio, Blake Street Glass.